TOUR 2013

ONE-HOUR GU I D E D TOU R S 1:00-2:00 1 River Forest Passive House, 1430 Jackson, River Forest 1:00-2:00 2 Certified Wildlife Habitat, 1165 Wenonah, Oak Park 1:00-2:00 3 0% Rainwater Runoff, 630 N Marion, Oak Park 2:30-3:30 4 Ecological design, 807 Forest Ave, River Forest 2:30-3:30 5 Simple Solutions, 214 S Elmwood, Oak Park 2:30-3:30 6 Eco-conscious home by local experts, 634 S Clinton, Oak Park 4:00-5:00 7 Grey Matters, 165 N. Taylor, Oak Park 4:00-5:00 8 Frank Lloyd Wright Home with geothermal, 534 N East, Oak Park 4:00-5:00 9 Save $$$, Increase comfort & lower carbon footprint, 616 Wenonah, Oak Park DROP-IN OP PORTU N I TI E S 12:00-2:00 A Repair Caf, Lifelong Learning Center OP Arms, 414 S Oak Park Ave, Oak Park 12:00-3:00 B Cheney Mansion Native Gardens (tour at 1pm), 220 N Euclid Ave, Oak Park 1:00-3:00 C Bicycle Safety & Biking Support, Greenline Wheels, 105 S Marion, Oak Park 2:00-4:30 D 2:30-4:00 E

SATURDAY SEPT. 28TH

Going Green in a Condo, 166 N Humphrey, Oak Park Native Landscapes Mini Tour with Wild Ones! (Leaves Cheney Mansion @ 2:30pm) 220 N Euclid, Oak Park Scoville Park by the fountain, 800 Lake St, Oak Park Home at 735 Wenonah, Oak Park Good Shepherd Lutheran, 611 Randolph, Oak Park Home at 211 Randolph St, Oak Park Home at 204 S. Elmwood, Oak Park Home at 238 S. Elmwood, Oak Park Beye School Native Plant Garden, 230 N Cuyler, OP Raising Tilapia & Making Wine, 1009 W Madison, Oak Park Mini Demo solar house, Corner Forest & Lake, Oak Park Save $ on Water, 714.N Grove, Oak Park Kids Explore Butterflies, Bees & Worms, RF library, 735 Lathrop, River Forest

2:00-4:30 F 12:00-4:00 G 2:00-4:30 H 3:00-4:30 I

CL O S ING CE L E B RAT IO N 5:30-7:00 J Join neighbors for a Harvest Picnic hosted by the Sugar Beet Co-op Northwest corner of Field Park (Woodbine & Berkshire)

ONE-HOUR GUIDED TOURS Uniquely designed for sustainability be inspired! 1) River Forest Passive House, 1430 Jackson Ave, River Forest, Tour at 1:00 pm Passive House, Healthy Home This is the first Certified Passive House in the Chicago region. Passive House is the most stringent building energy efficiency standard in the world; it requires that the envelope of the home is designed to minimize losses and maximize passive gains. The result is a super comfortable home with minimal operating costs, great indoor air quality, and far less maintenance requirements than typical. 2) Certified Wildlife Habitat, 1165 S Wenonah, Oak Park, Tour at 1:00 pm This yard is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Habitat The yard has mostly native plants and uses multiple water management techniques including downspouts disconnected from the sewer system, rain barrels, and swales to ensure that the homeowner almost never needs to run fresh water for the plants. The yard is designed to provide shade in the summer and sunlight on the house in the winter. 3) Zero% Rainwater Runoff! 630 N. Marion St., Oak Park, Tour at 1:00 pm The goal for this house was threefold: a) eliminate rainwater runoff so it could all be used or absorbed on the property; b) store plenty of rainwater to help with watering the raised-bed garden; and c) store rainwater to be used to irrigate a green roof. GREENheart Buildings Inc., in coordination with Nathan Wright Landscape Design, developed a system to meet th0se goals. 4) Ecological Design, 807 Forest Ave, River Forest, Tour at 2:30 pm Ecological principles were designed and built into this home from the beginning, including: renewable energy, energy efficiency, water and resource conservation, and toxic free materials. Water conservation features include rainwater catchmentfor irrigation, native landscaping, permeable driveway and water-saving faucets and showerheads. 5) Simple Solutions, 214 S. Elmwood Ave, Oak Park, Tour at 2:30 pm Residents of this home are showing their environmental stewardship in lots of different ways. Over the past six years they have installed an energy-efficient metal white roof, skylights, a tank-less hot water heater, and insulation in the walls. Last year they also installed a geothermal heating and cooling system which will reduce carbon dioxide put into the air by a quarter of a

million pounds over the next 50 years. 6) Eco-conscious Home, a Joint Effort of Local Experts, 634 Clinton Ave, Oak Park, Tour at 2:30pm The building of our home was very much a joint effort from an amazing team of local experts. Geothermal heating and cooling and Solar were new to Oak Park and the village was just figuring out permitting for such systems. Our SunPower monitoring system says we have produced 12, 286 kWhreducing emissions equivalent to not driving 20,191 miles in a standard car or planting 226 seedlings grown for 10 years. 7) Grey Matters. 165 N. Taylor Ave., Oak Park. Tour at 4:00 pm This 94-year old, LEED-registered home in Oak Parks Ridgeland Historic District underwent a deconstruction and gut rehab. The home utilizes a renewal geothermal energy system for HVAC and domestic hot water. It includes one of the first residential greywater systems in IL, anticipated save 20-30% on indoor water use by recycling water from tubs/showers into toilets. 8) Frank Lloyd Wright Home with Geothermal, 534 N East Ave, Oak Park Tour at 4:00 pm Weve slowly learned, and sought out, ways to restore the house which respect its history but also incorporate 21st century efficiency technology. I began to educate myself about optimizing the efficiency of hot water heat. This led to underfloor radiant on the first floor and the basement floor. These changes required the services of a local mechanical engineer who was experienced in geothermal heat pumps. 9) Save $$$, Increase Comfort, Decrease Carbon Footprint, 616 Wenonah, Oak Park, Tour at 4:00pm The Environmentalists Dilemma: Is it possible to keep your home warm in winter and cool in summer without doing a whole lot of damage to the environment? It is and whats best, its possible to do it on a reasonable budget. After sealing and insulating their house, the this family had the warmest winter in their home in 15 years. And their energy bills were lower than they had ever been. DROP-IN OPPORTUNITIES Inventing Sustainability Step by Step! A) Repair Caf, Lifelong Learning Center at OP

Arms, 414 S Oak Park Ave, Oak Park Drop-in: noon to 2pm (opens at 10am for repairs) What do you do with a broken toaster? Or a lamp that no longer lights? Or with a sweater that has holes? Throw it away? Certainly not! At the Repair Caf you will find volunteer experts including electricians, seamstresses and general handy people to help make all possible repairs free of charge. People visiting the Repair Caf can bring along their broken items from home -- anything that is broken is welcome. B) Cheney Mansion Native Gardens, 220 N Euclid Ave, Oak Park Drop-in: noon-3:00pm (tour led by head gardener, Charlie Ruedebusch at 1PM) See the gardens on your own or join a tour at 1pm. Charlie will describe how the garden has evolved over the past ten years, and will share the joys and benefits and dispell a few myths of incorporatingnative plantings in the home landscape. C) Biking Safely in an Urban Area & Biking Supports, Greenline Wheels, 105 S. Marion, Oak Park Drop-in: 1:00-3:00pm Get tips on how to stay safe while biking in an urban area. Greenline Wheels safety experts are teaching safety and adventure as part of the Green Living & Learning Tour. Instruction focuses on basics such as checking and fitting gears, signaling, braking, and more. Greenline Wheels representatives will also familiarize participants with other biking supports that they offer. D) Going Green in a Condo, 166 N Humphrey Ave, Oak Park Drop-in: 2:00-4:30pm Check out our raised bed gardens, composting and rain barrel in our tiny back yard, and then head upstairs where we will be discussing various methods of home food preservation, mainly involving canning and fermentation. We will talk about making fruit jams and pickling vegetables. We will also discuss how to make milk kefir, yogurt, and fermented vegetables, such as pickles and sauerkraut. E) Native Landscapes Mini Tour with Wild Ones! See the gardens on your own or join a group bike ride, 2:30-4:00pm, *Group bike ride leaves from Cheney Mansion at 2:30pm

Attract butterflies and bees, support the natural water cycle, help prevent flooding, and get ideas for incorporating beautiful native plants into your yard. Join Wild Ones tour leaders and bike around OP to see examples of native landscaping. F) Raising Tilapia & Making Wine, 1009 W Madison St, Oak Park, Drop-in: 2:00-4:30 Frank, broker/owner of Classic Properties, enjoys experimenting with all sorts of things in the back room of his real estate office. He has an aquaponics system in which he raises fish. The waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic animals supplies nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water. In his spare time Frank also makes wine. G) Mini Solar Demonstration House, Northeast Corner of Forest & Lake, Oak Park Drop-in: noon-4:00pm: The Illinois Solar Energy Association (ISEA) proudly presents the Solar House, a tiny house on a trailer which provides a miniature example of a life sized solar powered residence. Representatives that are knowledgeable about solar will be onsite to provide information and answer questions you have on the house and solar energy. H) Save $$ on Water, 714 Grove Ave, Oak Park, Drop-in: 2:00-4:30 This home illustrates a creative use of traditional and newer water retention and distribution methods. The clients existing rain barrels were supplemented with two Rainwater Hogs and filter/diverters, and then interconnected to make sure that water was evenly available around the house for garden irrigation. J) Kids Explore Bees, Butterflies & Worms, River Forest Library, 735 Lathrop Ave, River Forest Drop-in: 3:00-4:30pm: Children and moms & dads will have opportunities to visit 3 stations at their own pace to learn about bees, butterflies and worms and how we can help to give them a home so we can help them to help us. J) Closing Celebration Join neighbors for a Harvest Picnic hosted by the Sugar Beet Co-op, Northwest corner of Field Park (Woodbine & Berkshire)